Custom Furnishings Define a Penthouse Apartment in Hong Kong

For the penthouse apartment of a luxe housing development in Hong Kong, multi-disciplinary studio Cream was given ample creative freedom. The developer asked the firm, which is led by creative director Antony Chan, to bring their own vision as they refreshed and furnished the apartment, including the roof terraces. The 1,550-square-foot apartment includes four bedrooms. Outdoor space is nearly another 1,000 square feet, and the terraces includes a glass-fronted swimming pool.

The development’s existing architecture presented floor-to-ceiling windows that brought in abundant natural light and urban vistas. “I love the energy and inspiration of the natural elements such as sun, light, and the sea view,” Chan notes. And at sunset, the light “created a magical and atmospheric ambiance.” Cream added Marcel Wanders’s Diamond Screen to maximize the sunlight and create a play of light and shadows throughout the lounge area. The screen, part of Wanders’s Louis Vuitton Objets Nomades collection, is complemented by hand-painted LV trunks nearby.

The firm’s custom pieces stand out in the apartment. In the dining area, a three-dimensional oak feature wall adds visual interest and commands attention. A narrow hallway has been softened by oak paneling above the doors and beneath the window. In the primary bedroom, a natural and painted oak screen defines the wall behind the bed. The elements of the screen form a galaxy pattern, as if sleeping outside among the stars. And a wall-hung oak secretary desk with a gold-tinted mirror is both elegant and whimsical. The desk’s design is meant to evoke the number eight—considered good luck in Chinese culture. Other custom furnishings include a glass-topped dining table, sun-inspired carpets, and an oak-and-marble console table.

Perhaps the most dramatic “custom touch” is a curved glass opening that connects the dining area, living area, and terrace garden. The architectural invention opened up a confined space, transforming the living area into a more expansive environment. The glass opening further highlights the windows and views of the apartment. The apartment is a refuge, but the views keep it connected to the urban energy of Hong Kong.

Inside a Manhattan Jewel Box by Kroesser + Strat Design

Designers Anna Kroesser and Amelia Strat, cofounders of their eponymous studio, are all about bohemian glamour. When their clients, a husband and wife working in music and fashion, respectively, hired the duo for a gut renovation of an Upper West side penthouse, it was design serendipity. “Our clients are creatives, and host a lot,” says Kroesser. “We knew that from the moment we met them, that this was going to be a vibrant and effervescent space.”

Design Details Create a Standout Guest Bathroom

Kroesser and Strat are most proud of the penthouse’s tiniest space—the guest bathroom, which, despite its size, is the most detailed. “It has a bit of an ’80s vibe,” says Kroesser. “Our client was envisioning green, and we ran with that.” The washroom features a custom tiled mural and Calacatta Verde marble detailing, with a concrete floor and handmade Fireclay wall tiles. All this comes to life under an Apparatus Studio sconce. For Kroesser and Strat, this bespoke, jewel box of a bathroom is a testament to the value of independent creation. “Social media makes it feel as though everyone is replicating an image of a space they saw somewhere before,” muses Strat. “In this case, we went with unusual concepts like thick grout lines and a wall-to-ceiling mural, which paid off.”

“This room is an example of when not to shy away from bold colors or materials in a small space. It is enveloping and cohesive, but you’re able to pick up on all these little details throughout,” affirms Kroesser. “The clients really let us flex our design muscle and do something we haven’t seen before.”

Butter & Eggs Designs a Layered West Village Penthouse

For a Sydney-based family, interior design firm Butter & Eggs was brought in to customize and furnish a four-story West Village penthouse. The clients requested a showstopper that could also withstand family life and be comfortable for everyday living. “They trusted us completely throughout the process,” founder Judy Dunne explains. “As a result, we were able to create a highly functional home with an organic, global sensibility.”

Although these touches are elegant and sometimes delicate, Butter & Eggs considered durability and functionality for the penthouse. The Vladimir Kagan sofa in the living room is upholstered in a sumptuous fabric that could work in outdoor spaces. And other pieces are upholstered in performance fabric and durable cowhide.

“Unique pieces recall the clients’ love of the outdoors,” Albano explains. “And together, they create a quiet, peaceful family retreat in the city.” But if that isn’t enough, there’s actual outdoor space, of course. For the terrace, Butter & Eggs added the ultimate detail: A luxurious pool.

A Manhattan Penthouse Designed for Family Fun 

This Bangalore Penthouse Pays Homage to Indian Textiles

Perched on the 16th floor of a downtown apartment building lies a 5,000-square-foot family home, an escape from the bustling urban sprawl below. Designer Smita Thomas of Multitude of Sins, a Bangalore-based interior design firm, was brought in after the build to elevate the space with wood, marble, and traditional detailing, as well as ample designated storage, which added “character through its form and materiality,” Thomas notes. The homeowners, who inherited one of the oldest textile companies in the city, also asked that the home pay homage to their family’s work. “Being an ancestral business, textile knowledge and exposure to design enabled them to understand the patterns, motifs, and colors that the house could carry within its design,” she says.

Spread across two floors, the palatial floorplan is open and spacious with walls of double-height windows, ideal for “witnessing beautiful sunsets” yet was initially a “bare shell in terms of interiors,” says the designer. To make the layout more functional, Thomas opted for designated zones, plus brought in architectural forms such as arches as well as materials that would allow each space a visual differentiated purpose.

A Bangalore Penthouse Designed to Standout 

Originally dressed in a vanilla-toned marble, the main living room was made even more remarkable through stripping the skirting and creating a layered composition of beige and maroon marble, “imposing definition and a sense of nuance to the existing flooring,” shares the designer. The living room also features a free-handed, Renaissance-esque art piece inspired by classical motifs with a pair of cranes, a sign of positivity in the Indian Vastu, a traditional architectural system based on ancient texts. Below wood beading and corduroy wallpaper merges with the marble, while a white-and-black marble table, spindled chairs, and a pastel-toned rug, custom designed by MOS, yields a highly sophisticated seating area.

A Passive-House Design in Palma, Spain Without a Drop of Paint

Architects Paloma Hernaiz and Jaime Oliver, cofounders and directors of OHLab, believe that a building is only as attractive as it is sustainable. “If you know it’s polluting the environment, it probably won’t appeal to you,” Oliver argues. Climate change has altered our perspective. Glass curtain walls, for example, have lost some of their allure. “Today, if you see a building that’s entirely glazed, it’s not as nice aesthetically because you should know it doesn’t work well,” he says. By that measure alone, Paseo Mallorca 15, an apartment building the firm designed in Palma, on the Spanish island of Mallorca, is a stunner: Covered in pine shutters, it relies on passive heating and cooling techniques and consumes little energy.

Hernaiz and Oliver, who are married, met in New York while earning their masters’ degrees at Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation and later worked together at OMA in China. They founded OHLab (the O and H pulled from their last names) in Shanghai in 2007 but have since moved back to their native Spain and are now based in Mallorca, where Oliver grew up. In 2016, they completed their first passive-house project, Casa MM in Palma. “They haven’t turned on the heating or AC,” Hernaiz notes. “It was a breakthrough for us because we realized how easy it is to achieve.” Soon after, she and Oliver won a competition for the apartment building in central Palma. They have been building energy-efficient dwellings ever since.

A Sustainable, Passive-House Design by OHLab

The developer asked for an iconic design befitting the prime location beside the tree-lined Riera canal. “He also requested something that would represent the values of the 21st century in terms of society and architecture,” Oliver says. He and Hernaiz argued that a passive house structure would do just that. As glass curtain walls were the image of modernity in the 20th century, maybe sunshades would be a hallmark of the 21st.

OHLab worked within the limited parameters of a trapezoidal lot and urban planning codes. The 38,000-square-foot building faces three streets: two narrow, quiet ones and the larger, noisier Passeig de Mallorca, which offers the best light and views. This setup determined the layout of the 10 units, with living areas facing the main road and bedrooms in the back. Each street also has different zoning regarding height limits, which resulted in Paseo Mallorca 15 having a zigzag roof line of four, six, and eight stories.

A Home That Heats and Cools Itself

Hernaiz, Oliver, and their team gave the back of the building a facade of prefabricated concrete panels and covered the southern side in moveable thermo-treated pine slats that act as a solar filter. Residents can adjust them manually from their balconies, closing them in summer and opening them in winter. OHLab incorporated panels of four different depths to account for the wood’s natural irregularity and aging, “So it won’t look like a mistake,” Oliver explains. At night, the building glows like a paper lantern.

The design draws on vernacular Mallorcan architecture, such as Mediterranean pergolas and shutters, and uses such traditional techniques as cross-ventilation to keep rooms cool. “These are basic principles that were lost during the last century, but it’s a much smarter way to build,” Hernaiz says. A heat recovery system moderates the temperature and circulates fresh air, insulation is nearly 10 inches thick, and the structure is airtight. Although the building has heating and AC, Hernaiz and Oliver hope residents won’t have to turn them on. The result is a heating and cooling energy demand of 15 kWh per square meter per year, which not only is in line with Passiv­haus standards but also a 90 percent less demand than a conventional building.

The Apartment Building Features Local Plants and an Indoor Spa

“For us, sustainability is not just an add-on,” Hernaiz states. “It is embedded in our design decisions.” Each environmentally responsible choice contributes to a cohesion that extends from the facade to the bedrooms. It proves that a contemporary urban high-rise can be beautiful, rooted in its landscape, and respect the world at large.

Behind the Sustainable Design of Paseo Mallorca 15 

OHLab: rebeca lavín; robin harloff; loreto angulo; pedro rodríguez; silvia morais; mercé solar; m. bruna pisciotta; tomislav konjevod; josé allona; claudio tagarelli; eleni oikonomaki; agustín verdejo; luis quiles

jonathan bell studio: landscape architect

hima estructuras: structural engineer

amm technical group: mep

estudi linia: civil engineer

contract stone & ceramic: stonework

construcciones regla de oro: general contractor

cassina: chairs (courtyard)

il giardino di legno: table

malift: car elevator (garage)

la pecera mallorca: stool, chairs (living room)

blasco: sofa

gordiola: pendant fixtures (dining room, bedroom)

de la espada: table (dining room)

sollos: chairs (dining room, bedroom)

Gubi: floor lamp (living room)

Mogg: side table

flou: bed (bedroom)

inbani: tub

contain: pendant fixture (kitchen)

miele: appliances

paola lenti; tribù: outdoor fur­niture (terrace)

decágono: furniture supplier

grupo gubia: timber facade installation

Dornbracht: sink fittings, tub fittings

Hariri & Hariri Architecture Transforms the New York Penthouse Headquarters of SIBA Corp/SIBA Residences into a Multifaceted Gem

Hariri & Hariri Architecture—the firm of Iranian sisters and Interior Design Hall of Fame members Gisue and Mojgan Hariri—began the renovation of the headquarters of SIBA Corp/SIBA Residences, a prominent gem dealer and real estate business in Manhattan’s Diamond District, in early 2020, just as COVID-19 was about to grip New York. The architects designed the 3,000-square-foot full floor during the transitional period when the SIBA office staff, like countless others across the country, started Zooming from home. Like anthro­pologists unexpectedly equipped with a telephoto lens into the lives of their subjects, the Hariris observed home environments that had become on-screen business backdrops.

COVID taught the architects what now seems obvious: People were in no rush to return to the office because they like the warmth, character, crafted touches, and creature comforts of their homes. Specialists in both residential and workplace, the sisters resolved to adapt domesticity to the penthouse site, balancing the amenities of home with office life in a building deep in Midtown’s thicket of high-rises. “Zoom confirmed what George Nelson advocated long ago,” Gisue Hariri notes: “‘The office should be a daytime living room.’”

The renovation initiated a new era and ethos for the four-generation family business. The third-generation patriarch, Sam Abram, had recently died, and his son Edward, now CEO, was relaunching the company. Three of SIBA’s separate divisions—diamond trading, real estate sales, and building management—shared the floor. Without looking like Fort Knox, the gem side of the business had to be secured away from the real estate and management spaces, which were themselves separate from each other. With multiple zones and numerous dedicated functions—reception and waiting areas, open workstations and offices, a conference room and a jewelry viewing lounge, kitchen and dining—the program presented the organizational challenge of piecing together an intricate puzzle. The existing office looked like a leftover period set from “The Honeymooners.” Cubicles and rooms were grafted onto each other higgledy-piggledy under harsh fluorescents set in a water-damaged dropped ceiling. A large safe was strapped down like an electric chair. The whole place required a gut renovation.

The unsalvageable maze, however, hid two assets. The space had good infrastructure—a wraparound terrace ringed the entire floor, which offered unobstructed, heart-of-the-city views. Then, in and around the principal office, the architects discovered numerous modernist prints and silkscreens that the company had quietly collected, hung up, and left in place for decades, as forgotten as old wallpaper. To their surprise, the Hariris were dealing with a portfolio that included works by Josef Albers, Ellsworth Kelly, Kenneth Noland, and Louise Nevelson. New pieces, including ones by Keith Haring, Andy Warhol, and Alexander Calder, were added to the mix, and the trove became a vehicle that helped the two sisters infuse the project with color and character.

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Aiming for a daytime living-room effect, the Hariris avoided a systematic, gridded, modular layout. Instead, the floor is organized episodically along a circuit leading to an unfolding sequence of spaces, each highlighting art or special seating. The unique turns in the plan camouflaged the harsh fact that a corridor, for example, might function as a security lock bordered by bulletproof glass. The Hariri team included pockets as socializing zones for passing office chats and break-out moments. They sited the jewelry viewing lounge among the first rooms, beyond which lies a small open-plan pool of workstations for real estate management surrounded by a perimeter of private offices.

Improvements in technology over the last several decades facilitated domestication. Thanks to the computer, the architects could reduce the number of chilly, metal file cabinets to a minimum. A new ceiling system of parallel aluminum slats set wide enough apart to accommodate sprinklers let them raise the ceiling from 8 to nearly 10 feet. Compact HVAC equipment replaced large, antiquated units that colonized the outdoor terrace, allowing for an alfresco dining setup plus a meditation garden. Contemporary window frames gave each opening a clear view, turning the urban skyline into a sequence of spectacular pictures.

But beyond technology, the Hariris deployed architecture’s traditional tool-set—materials, scale, lighting, and simplicity—to make the HQ homelike. They covered metal access panels with rift-cut oak. Etched glass between perimeter offices and the open work area softly radiate natural light to the landlocked interior. They dimensionalized the floor with patterned carpet tile that creates the illusion of depth, its pile inviting staff to kick off their shoes. Overall, the spaces were kept intimate, with clean planes and edges that defer to the art. The walls, mostly painted white or gray, have the visual clarity of a gallery.

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At the beginning of the commission, the architects told their clients that the goal was to build the analogue of a jewel—“something light, airy, and tactile,” Gisue Hariri says, “something small, precious, and special, where every turn is unique.” She and her sister crafted that idea right at the front door by chamfering the reception desk like a precious cut stone—its faceted, sculptural quality a trademark of their work. “From early on, we’ve collected rocks and studied geological and crystal formations, fascinated by the abstract, geometric, asymmetrical forms derived from nature, which are also apparent in both Persian and modern Western architecture,” the architect adds. But even more than a built metaphor, the diamond at the door sets the stage for the multifaceted gem of an environment beyond.

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hariri & hariri architecture: bieinna ham; kyuhun kim; chris whiteside; maria digaetango-rodriguez

blondie’s treehouse: landscape consultant.

lighting workshop: lighting consultant.

robert silman associates structural engineers: structural engineer

skyline engineering: special inspection engineer.

ip group: mep

napoleon contracting corp.: woodwork.

icon interiors: general contractor.

Janus et Cie: chairs, table (terrace)

expert welding gates: custom railing

bendheim: etched glass panels (open work area)

knoll: workstations (open work area), lounge chair (office)

vibia: pendant fixtures (waiting area)

bernhardt design: table/chair (waiting area), sofa (jewelry lounge)

spinneybeck: sofa upholstery (jewelry lounge)

dwr: pillows

herman miller: executive chair, task chairs (office)

kohler co.: sink fittings (rest­room)

focal point: ceiling fixtures (kitchen)

JUlien: sink

kwc: sink fittings

wolf: cooktop

miele: oven

Blu Dot: credenza

mosa: floor tile

Interface: carpet tile

amerlux; coronet lighting: lighting

armstrong: acoustic ceiling panels

b+n industries: aluminum slats

c.r. laurence co.: door pulls

kilroy architectural windows: windows

evensonbest: furniture supplier

benjamin moore & co.: paint.

Gantous Arquitectos, Simon Hamui and Covilha Interiorismo Collaborate on Mexico City Penthouse  

Pre-pandemic, Interior Design was introduced to a spate of contemporary interiors in Mexico City. The latest, a stunning new-build penthouse, posed a tough design challenge. Atop a 26-story tower dating to 2017, it encompasses 10,656 square feet spread over two floors. Exacerbating the task was the timeline. The project was designed and completed during the COVID-19 pandemic. But the design team trio pulled it off with aplomb. In good measure because Gantous Arquitectos and Simon Hamui had been long-time collaborators over a span of 30 years. The latter, a Pratt-trained industrial designer, first met Claudio Gantos, who founded the studio with brother Christian, during high school. Notes Christian: “Working together in dozens of different projects, we have developed a stylistic compatibility and inevitably influence each other’s work.” The third member, new to the mix, was Covilha Interiorismo, brought on board by the flat’s owners, who, by the way are art-savvy business folks with three grown offspring.   

Despite the sprawl, the contemporary interiors are surprisingly warm, cohesive and, yes, comfy. Credit first goes to the materials palette: Siena travertine for wall cladding and vestibule floors; gray oak for otherwise pervasive flooring; aged eucalyptus for doors, wall paneling, and louvers.  In fact, sliding louvered doors as one aspect of Hamui’s extensive millwork are a key feature allowing the house either to be seen in its entirety with views through to the Sierra Madre Mountains or closed off for areas of seclusion and privacy. 

In broad strokes, the upper level is public and more formal for entertaining. A residential-almost-hospitality vibe comes through with several seating elements; a bar with counter in Cielo quartzite, brass details, and smoked mirror; and a custom wine cellar stocked to the hilt. Sliding doors close or open the expanse to dining, and, similarly, sliders of wood and glass define the husband’s study. Here, the team created a massive desk of ebony, brass, leather, and linen backed by a wall of bookshelves for objects and art. The wife, meanwhile, got her share of special consideration with extensively detailed kitchen cabinetry to support her hostess needs and tea pot collection.

Speaking of art, the showstopper occurs at the stairwell. Affixed to the ceiling and gracefully swooping down through the air are delicate brass chains composing the sculpture by Mexico-based Polish artist Xawery Wolski.

A cantilevered stairway leads downstairs to the private zone featuring a den and quartet of bedroom suites, including the main—this is where the family really lives. To reduce scale and impart warmth simultaneously, the designers created two impressive ceiling treatments. One is composed of folded planes; the other is a canopy of CNC-routed wood additionally conferring acoustic value and anchoring integrated lighting.  The TV is framed with huanacaxtle wood and flanked by custom bookcases of steel and Sequoia wood. As for the bedrooms, all are accessed by double eucalyptus doors and custom furnished to suit the individual occupant. No doubt, all anticipate showing off the modern masterpiece to generations of friends to come. 

Terreo Studio Develops a Classical Yet Contemporary Residential Complex in Tulum, Mexico

When architect Eduardo Valdes and photographer/journalist Alexander Landsberg first visited Tulum, the buzzy beach destination on the east coast of Mexico’s Yucután Peninsula, the self-described “explorers and travelers” knew they’d found a suitably cosmopolitan yet laid-back place where they could put down professional roots. “We found Tulum to be totally inspiring and dynamic, a place where creativity and diversity abounds,” the German-born Landsberg enthuses. “It’s a very unique mix: small yet international, with global influences.” He adds that the climate is perfect—“always warm, with a nice breeze”—and the landscape drop-dead, courtesy of the omnipresent Caribbean and the cenotes and lagunas that dot the countryside.

The thirtysomethings were especially drawn to La Valeta, an up-and-coming but low-key neighborhood that abuts a national park. “We loved the vibe of the area and its inhabitants, a mix of Mayan families and creative folk from around the world,” says Valdes, who grew up in Mexico City. The real-estate market, they discovered, was saturated with sprawling, commercially driven condo projects but nothing of the intimate scale and understated style that spoke to their own aesthetic preferences. “We realized there was a huge demand for beautiful architecture that was not cookie-cutter,” the architect continues. So the entrepreneurial pair pooled their talents to found Terreo Studio in 2018 with the mission to design and develop boutique residential properties. “We found Tulum to be so special that we wanted to give something back to it,” Landsberg summarizes.

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The creative collaborators globe-trotted for many months to collect ideas. A few destinations proved to be particularly inspirational, including the La Granja Ibiza hotel in Spain; the Scorpios beach club in Mykonos, Greece; and, closer to home, the Mexican towns Mérida, Oaxaca, and San Miguel de Allende. Based on their explorations, the studio mates drafted a short list of attributes they wanted their own properties to have: open-plan kitchen/living areas, superhigh ceilings, a strong connection to nature, and private alfresco living areas complete with pool—“a chill-out leisure space for when the homeowners don’t want to go to the beach,” Landsberg explains. Last but not least was a hip yet laid-back atmosphere. “We love the idea of creating an ambience.”

Terreo Studio’s debut development was Liana, a four-unit property completed in 2019 that quickly sold out. Their ambitions heightened, the duo next conceived this project, Fosil, a 10,700-square-foot four-story condominium building housing seven one-of-a-kind residences, ranging in size from a loft studio to a three-bedroom triplex penthouse. The design intent, Valdes says, “was to create a piece of architecture that resembled a modern-day ruin, a mystical building with simple, clean lines that would fit into the Tulum vernacular yet stand apart.” A composition of staggered arches conceals the facade and entry court, a poetic nod to classical architecture. Several of those arches were actually added on the fly during construction as the building started to take shape—an example of Terreo Studio’s improvisational approach. “We design and build in a very organic way,” Valdes admits. “Whenever we think a feature can benefit from a certain modification, we make it.”

Distinguishing the exterior is a type of local stone embedded with tiny fossils, which sparked the development’s name. “Eduardo and I got the inspiration during a trip to the Atlas Mountains in Morocco, where we found many ammonite relics,” Landsberg explains. “Here in Tulum, if you dig down into the earth, you’ll find this particular white stone with fossilized shells, so the connection is close.”

Such emphasis on regional materials is a throughline of the studio’s projects (which now include two more condominiums and a villa in various stages of completion). “The use of simple natural finishes from the area give the spaces an authentic character,” Valdes says. The loft interiors feature other indigenous treatments, including chukum, a limestone-based stucco incorporating resin from the titular tree, which is endemic to the area. The chalky finish was deployed for walls and floors throughout, as well as for built-in features like bathroom vanities. Timber used for kitchen cabinetry and bedroom millwork is also a native species.

As for decor, Terreo Studio was hired by many of the homeowners, including the L.A.-based musician who bought the penthouse, to oversee furnishings. Almost every element was custom designed and produced by the partners via the interiors store they now run parallel to the studio, and for which they collaborate with artisans across the country and source items during their travels. “Last year we had the opportunity to take over a furniture store and integrate it into the practice,” Valdes explains. “Our vision for the store is in motion; we are constantly changing collections.” (Although antique Yucatecan pottery is a staple.) The pair’s philosophy for interior design mirrors their architectural ad-libbing. “We don’t have a fully complete design concept ready when we start decorating; we try to integrate the right proportions of objects and furniture into the architecture as we go along,” Valdes notes. Such a panoptic approach and attention to detail is unusual for the Tulum market—as is the fact that Terreo Studio offers a service to help homeowners AirBnB their units when not in residence. Care to come and stay awhile?

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arturo loaiza: terreo studio

luma arquitectos: general contractor, mep

terreo decor: woodwork

terreo shop: objects

ZARA HOME: Bed linens